Cruz tops Trump in Iowa caucuses, Dem race tight

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NORTH CHARLESTON, SC - JANUARY 14: Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks to the media in the spin room after the Fox Business Network Republican presidential debate at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center on January 14, 2016 in North Charleston, South Carolina. The sixth Republican debate is held in two parts, one main debate for the top seven candidates, and another for three other candidates lower in the current polls. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Cruz tops Trump in Iowa caucuses, Dem race tight

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC - JANUARY 14: Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks to the media in the spin room after the Fox Business Network Republican presidential debate at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center on January 14, 2016 in North Charleston, South Carolina. The sixth Republican debate is held in two parts, one main debate for the top seven candidates, and another for three other candidates lower in the current polls. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — It’s Ted Cruz on top in the lead off Republican presidential caucuses in Iowa.

The Texas senator has edged past of Donald Trump and a crowded GOP field.

Ted Cruz was on with strong support from Iowa’s influential evangelical community and conservative voters.

Cruz’s victory in the first contest of the 2016 race comes just four years after he rode a tea party wave to win election to the Senate.

The race now moves to New Hampshire, where Trump has strong support among voters frustrated and angry with Washington.

There are big differences when it comes to the age of caucus-goers in Iowa who say they are supporting Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders.

More than 8 in 10 Democratic caucus-goers under 30 say they came to support Sanders on Monday night, as did nearly 6 in 10 of those between age 30 and 44.

But nearly 6 in 10 caucus-goers between age 45 and 64, and 7 in 10 of those 65 and over, came out to back Clinton.

That’s according to entrance poll interviews with people arriving at their caucus sites.

The survey was conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks by Edison Research as voters arrived at 40 randomly selected sites for Democratic and Republican caucuses.

Democrat Martin O’Malley has suspended his presidential campaign.

The former Maryland governor and Baltimore mayor never gained traction against rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

Word about O’Malley’s move comes from people familiar with his decision. They weren’t authorized to discuss it publicly and requested anonymity.

O’Malley campaigned as a can-do chief executive who pushed through key parts of the Democratic agenda in Maryland. They included gun control, support for gay marriage and an increase in the minimum wage.

But O’Malley struggled to raise money and was polling in the single-digits for months despite campaigning actively in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz the top choice among very conservative caucus-goers in Iowa, while Donald Trump is No. 1 among moderates.

That’s according to entrance poll interviews among those arriving at caucus sites conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.

Those who say they’re somewhat conservative are split between Marco Rubio and Trump.

Half of GOP caucus-goers say they prefer a candidate from outside the political establishment, while 4 in 10 say they prefer someone with political experience.

The crowd has come alive for Marco Rubio at a concert hall that’s hosting caucuses for two Iowa precincts outside Des Moines.

The Florida senator tells caucus-goers that he knows they might have come out to support other candidates in the Republican race. But he also says that he believes “with all my heart I can unite this party.”

Ben Carson plans to trade the cold of Iowa for the warmer Florida for a few days.

A campaign spokesman says the Republican presidential candidate is heading home to West Palm Beach after the Iowa caucuses.

Carson plans to speak at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington on Thursday and then will head to New Hampshire.

The plan is to leave Iowa on Monday night in hopes of getting ahead of a winter storm.

2 comments

Andrew

So no surprises here, except how close the Dem race is. Most people figured Sanders would walk off with an easy win.
Truth be told though, Iowa is a meaningless state. If it was at all representative of the rest of the country, you might be able to read something into this, but it isn’t. The only reason a big deal is made over Iowa is because they provide the media with their first opportunity to unleash the full fury of the election year hype. That is all.
I do think the closeness of the caucus very accurately reflects the social and political divisions which exist in this country. Some people want to switch to hard socialism, others want to maintain free market capitalism. Some people want to preserve the Constitution, others want to continue to sell it off in the name of globalization. Some people want to see the same old politics as usual, others want to see an outsider in charge.

One thing is for sure…we apparently all want to see a complete nutjob in the White House this fall. And unless you are voting Independent, there is no way around that. Myself, I’d rather see the nutjob succesful businessman in there than the nutjob criminal or nutjob Commie or nutjob fingerpuppet. Trump may be an ass, but he at least knows what a budget is for and how one works. Fiscal responsibility alone would be a change worth electing him for, IMO.